Zooey Deschanel pestered producers for role in Loretta Lynn musical

Actress and singer Zooey Deschanel spent months badgering the producers behind a new Broadway musical based on the life of country icon Loretta Lynn in a bid to land the lead role.

The “New Girl” star reveals the idea to turn the singer’s 1976 autobiography, “Coal Miner’s Daughter,” into a stage show hit her one day while she was in the shower, and she immediately called her manager to see if the project was already in the works.

Lynn had already set the ball rolling on the production, so Deschanel reached out to the organizers behind the show – only to be told a casting decision would not be made for months.

(Photo by Douglas Mason/Getty Images)

She persevered and continued to regularly check in with the producers – and her efforts finally paid off last spring.

Deschanel tells U host Katie Couric, “It was fortuitous because it was being developed and I …(thought), ‘Oh my god, ‘The Coal Miner’s Daughter’ should be on Broadway because it’s such a good story and the music is so great.’ So I called my manager and said, ‘Can you check to see if somebody’s developing this?’ And somebody was, and they said, ‘We don’t attach actresses this early in the game’, but we kept plugging away and finally they were talking to Loretta Lynn’s camp and they said, ‘Oh, Loretta loves Zooey!’”

The actress was invited to meet Lynn before a concert in Nashville last May, and she immediately won the legend’s approval, and the singer made the big casting announcement onstage during her gig at the Ryman Auditorium that night.

But Deschanel is still waiting to hear when she will make her Broadway debut: “It’s in development so I don’t know exactly when it’s going to happen, but I’m so excited.”